Attending fans’ opinion of last night’s Fleetwood Mac concert at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena depended entirely on whether or not they were present at the same venue four and a half months ago, the last time the band graced the city.

For those for who last night was their first taste of Fleetwood Mac’s “On With The Show” tour, their senses are still tingling from the experience today. The Kings and Queens of Soft Rock still reigned, cranking out two and a quarter hours of gems with energy and style.

The long absent Christine McVie, now firmly re-entrenched in the line up, gave the band the vocal ammunition to roll out classics like “You Make Loving Fun,” “Little Lies” and “Say You Love Me.” After a touch of trouble on certain high notes early on, she soon slotted into her musical groove, finishing the night strong with a honky tonk piano solo adding an extra sheen of fun to “Don’t Stop.”

In terms of vocals, Stevie Nicks was in richer form than on her previous visit to Vancouver, wisely navigating her way around the high notes during “Rhiannon,” “Landslide” and her opus, the lyrically merciless “Gold Dust Woman.”

Stealing the show throughout, Lindsey Buckingham was the undisputed star of the evening, his guitars taking centre stage through opener “The Chain,” the perfect power pop of “Second Hand News” and “I Know I’m Not Wrong,” and hosting finger picking acoustic wizardry on “Big Love” and “Never Going Back.”

Those who were lucky enough to be at Rogers Arena back in November probably have a different view of last night.

Because Fleetwood Mac, for all their song writing and technical excellence, delivered the exact same concert that they brought with them four-and-a-half short months ago. Same set list. Same pre-song stories. They were even wearing the same clothes.

The band has their reasons. At an arena level, lighting and video cues are not immediately changeable through the tap of a laptop.

And yet, with such a significant gap between Vancouver dates, musicians of their ability and back catalogue should be able to switch up their set list. It seems inconceivable that select changes couldn’t be made to prevent the same songs appearing in the same order, punctuated by the same scripted introductions and anecdotes the band have been relying on through the tour.

Read the review in the link in the first paragraph. Apart from an absent “Songbird” last night, nothing had changed.

This is no reflection on Fleetwood Mac’s unquestionably excellent music. But playing the same concert to (presumably) a significant percentage of repeat ticket buyers destroyed the illusion that band and audience was sharing a unique, never-to-be repeated moment. That’s what makes the rock concert such a special experience. Its magic is fleeting.

Even if a tour remains constant day after day, that time it visited your city was unforgettable. You had to be there to feel it.

By repeating themselves so thoroughly, what seemed like moments of in-the-moment passion were revealed to be merely an act. Like the magician explaining the slight of hand behind the tricks, you admire the skill, but the wonder is gone.

Robert Collins / CTV News Vancouver / Sunday, April 5, 2015

Fleetwood Mac brings crazy-ass fingerpicking and monster drums to Vancouver.

Fleetwood Mac must really love Vancouver. The Anglo-American pop greats played Rogers Arena less than five months ago, on November 18, before returning for last night’s gig at the same venue.

Apparently the feeling is mutual, because hordes of Vancouverites were willing to drop $199 (plus service charges and fees) for the best seats at the quintet’s latest appearance. Who knew that Christine McVie had that much drawing power?

Last year saw the return of keyboardist-vocalist McVie to the concert stage, reuniting her with singer Stevie Nicks, guitarist-vocalist Lindsey Buckingham, drummer Mick Fleetwood, and bassist/ex-hubby John McVie. That’s the same lineup that ruled the charts and airwaves in the seventies during its Rumours-era heyday.

Getting McVie back in the group for its current On With the Show tour meant that it could perform more of the songs she wrote and sang, of course, and last night that resulted in tunes like “Over My Head” and “Say You Love Me” (from 1975’s Fleetwood Mac) and “Little Lies” and “Everywhere” (from 1987’s Tango in the Night) making the setlist.

McVie–the oldest member of the band at 71–sounded fine on those numbers, but it didn’t hurt that she was supported by a trio of youthful backing vocalists. The group also benefited from an extra keyboardist and an extra guitarist. Hey, when you charge that much for tickets you can afford some hired hands.

And you can also invest a few bucks into getting one helluva drum sound. I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a powerful bass-drum noise in a hockey rink as that booming out of Mick Fleetwood’s kit. From the opening track, “The Chain,” to the first encore, “World Turning,” Fleetwood was a monster on the skins. His extended solo on the latter track turned out to be far more entertaining than what you’d expect from an old guy hollering and hitting things.

The show’s visuals were most impressive too. The massive video screen behind the 10 performers kept your attention, whether displaying footage of the USC Trojans’ marching band during “Tusk,” a huge moon changing colours on “Sisters of the Moon,” or a beautiful lady dancing underwater on “Gold Dust Woman.”

The last time the band played Vancouver without Christine McVie, in May of 2013, the setlist included the Stevie Nicks solo hit “Stand Back,” but this time around there were no selections from outside the Fleetwood Mac catalogue. And 14 of the 22 songs played were taken from the multiplatinum Fleetwood Mac and Rumours discs. There was none of that, “And here’s a track from our latest album!” nonsense. Mac’s latest album came out twelve years ago, anyway.

The biggest highlight of the night may have been Buckingham’s solo performance of “Big Love,” which showcased his crazy-ass fingerpicking style and ultra-expressive vocals. Mind you, he did reach similarly dramatic heights seven songs later on the heavy (by Mac standards) “I’m So Afraid,” which saw him prowling the stage like a man possessed before unleashing a gonzo solo right out of the Ultimate Guitar Hero Playbook.

Dude earned his MVP Award right then, I reckon.

You can follow Steve Newton at twitter.com/earofnewt and check out his website about rock ‘n’ roll and horror here.

Steve Newton / Straight / Sunday, April 5, 2015